Podcast appearances and mentions of richard rushfield

Los Angeles mayoral candidate and Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman is acutely aware of what's at stake as local Hollywood production craters — 42,000 jobs lost over two years between 2022 and 2024, shoot days down 50 percent below the five-year average. Many of her constituents in District 4, which stretches from the San Fernando Valley to the Santa Monica Mountains, work in the industry — and her husband, Vali Chandrasekaran, is a longtime writer and producer, with credits on television comedies like Modern Family, 30 Rock and Netflix's The Four Seasons. Last week, Raman came by the Ankler offices for a conversation with Richard Rushfield about her plan to save the industry, as well as her thoughts about how we got here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode, I'm rejoined by my first guest, the great Richard Rushfield, to talk all things TV. What's the deal with Fox buying Roku? What does the post-peak-TV era look like? And, perhaps most importantly, who is on the Mount Rushmore of television? All that and more on this week's episode. Leave your pick for the all-time-top-four TV figures in the comments!

Angelenos are on the clock. The Los Angeles mayoral election is set for June 2, and even those who don't live in SoCal should pay close attention to the outcome. Hollywood is taking center stage in a way it rarely has before as local production plummets, jobs shrink and frustration ripples through the city. Has Mayor Karen Bass done enough? Could City Councilmember Nithya Raman or former reality TV villain Spencer Pratt (and his surprising donor list) shake things up? Richard Rushfield joins Elaine Low and Natalie Jarvey to break down what each major candidate has said about the film and TV industry and whether anyone at City Hall can save L.A. production. Come for the voters' guide, stay for Richard's tale about interning for Mayor Tom Bradley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of THE HOT MIC, John Rocha and Jeff Sneider return from CinemaCon to recap the big events, announcements, trailers and footage from the week. They also discuss Dune 3 vs Doomsday and how both studios are keeping the Dec 18th release date, Man of Tomorrow casting, Paramount's David Ellison vs The Ankler's Richard Rushfield and his appearance at the Con and skipping the congressional hearings for dubious reasons, and more!#marvel #xmen #avengers #Netflix #Disney #DC #Superman #JamesGunn #starwars #TheHotMic #JeffSneider #JohnRocha ____________________________________________________________________________________Chapters:0:00 Intro and Rundown3:25 Avengers Doomsday Trailer Discussion and Marvel Presentation12:20 Dune 3 Footage CinemaCon Discussion19:18 The Odyssey Cinemacon Footage Discussion22:06 Digger CinemaCon Footage Discussion25:54 Michael B. Jordan and Adria Arjona Talk Thomas Crown Affair27:15 The Social Reckoning CinemaCon Trailer Discussion30:12 I Play Rocky CinemaCon Presentation and Trailer Discussion33:37 Spaceballs: The New One Presentation and Trailer Discussion35:54 Spider-Verse, Brand New Day, Jumanji Footage Discussion38:00 Disclosure Day CinemaCon Footage and Spielberg Q&A Discussion41:44 Adria Arjona Cast in Man of Tomorrow After Gunn Denials48:50 David Ellison vs Richard Rushfeld Controversy over WB Merger1:03:44 David Harbour Cast as Col Troutman in Rambo Prequel Movie1:05:37 Selena Gomez Signs onto Brady Corbet's New Film1:07:35 Streamlabs and Superchat QuestionsFollow John Rocha: @therochasays Follow Jeff Sneider: @TheInSneider Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-hot-mic-with-jeff-sneider-and-john-rocha--5632767/support.

In the summer of 2006, a teenage girl began posting video diaries to a then-new site called YouTube under the handle lonelygirl15. Within weeks she was a phenomenon—even though no one knew the truth of who she really was. The frenzied quest to change that, to solve the mystery of lonelygirl15, would ultimately land her on the front page of newspapers and the covers of magazines. Twenty years on, lonelygirl15 is both an artifact of an earlier online era and an origin point for the internet as we know it: a place full of video diaries, parasocial relationships, influencers, hyper-engaged fandoms, and the knowledge that you can't always believe your eyes.In this episode, you'll hear from some of the people who investigated lonelygirl15 way back in 2006: culture critic Virginia Heffernan, who writes the Substack Magic + Loss and co-hosts the podcast Omnishambles; entertainment journalist Richard Rushfield of The Ankler; Emmy Award-winning producer Jenni Powell; and one-time cybersleuth Chris Patterson. We also speak with the people involved in making lonelygirl15: Miles Beckett, Mesh Flinders, Jessica Rose Phillipps, and Amanda Goodfried. This episode was written by Willa Paskin and Evan Chung, Decoder Ring's Supervising Producer. Decoder Ring is also produced by Willa Paskin, Katie Shepherd, and Max Freedman. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.Thank you to Greg Goodfried, Matt Foremski, and Tom Foremski. Special thanks to Ryan Broderick and Grant Irving of the podcast Panic World, who introduced Willa to the lonelygirl15 story on a recent episode of their show and suggested it might make a good topic for Decoder Ring.If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com or leave a message on our hotline at (347) 460-7281.Sources for This EpisodeCresci, Elena. “Lonelygirl15: how one mysterious vlogger changed the internet,” The Guardian, June 16, 2006.Davis, Joshua. “The Secret World of Lonelygirl,” WIRED, Dec. 2006.Falconer, Ellen. “An oral history of lonelygirl15,” RNZ, June 16, 2016.Flemming, Brian. “Arguments for a real LG15 fall short,” Brian Flemming's Weblog, Aug. 25, 2006.Foremski, Matt and Tom Foremski. “SVW Exclusive: The identity of LonelyGirl15,” Silicon Valley Watcher, Sep. 11, 2006.Foremski, Tom. “How the secret identity of LonelyGirl15 was found,” Silicon Valley Watcher, Sep. 12, 2006.Foremski, Tom. “The Hunt for LonelyGirl15: Life in a blogger household…,” Silicon Valley Watcher, Sep. 12, 2006.Glaister, Dan. “Cult blog a fake, admit 'lonelygirl' creators,” The Guardian, Sep. 9, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia and Tom Zeller Jr. “The Lonelygirl That Really Wasn't,” New York Times, Sep. 13, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia. “A Pause for Some Words From Bree,” New York Times, Aug. 23, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia. “Sweet, Weird, Fraud or Other,” New York Times, Aug. 24, 2006.“LGPedia,” LG15, 2016.“lonelygirl15 and when lies could be fun,” Panic World, Feb. 4, 2026.“Lonely Girl And All Her Friends,” On the Media, Sep. 1, 2006.Nudd, Tim. “Lonelygirl15 still a mystery, for now,” ADWEEK, Sep. 1, 2006.Rushfield, Richard and Claire Hoffman. “Lonelygirl15 Video Blog Is Brainchild of 3 Filmmakers,” Los Angeles Times, Sep. 13, 2006.Rushfield, Richard and Claire Hoffman. “Mystery Fuels Huge Popularity of Web's Lonelygirl15,” Los Angeles Times, Sep. 8, 2006.Wendt, Milo A. “LonelyGirl15: It's Not So Lonely In The Bay Area,” milowent, Aug. 30, 2006. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the summer of 2006, a teenage girl began posting video diaries to a then-new site called YouTube under the handle lonelygirl15. Within weeks she was a phenomenon—even though no one knew the truth of who she really was. The frenzied quest to change that, to solve the mystery of lonelygirl15, would ultimately land her on the front page of newspapers and the covers of magazines. Twenty years on, lonelygirl15 is both an artifact of an earlier online era and an origin point for the internet as we know it: a place full of video diaries, parasocial relationships, influencers, hyper-engaged fandoms, and the knowledge that you can't always believe your eyes.In this episode, you'll hear from some of the people who investigated lonelygirl15 way back in 2006: culture critic Virginia Heffernan, who writes the Substack Magic + Loss and co-hosts the podcast Omnishambles; entertainment journalist Richard Rushfield of The Ankler; producer Jenni Powell; and one-time cybersleuth Chris Patterson. We also speak with the people involved in making lonelygirl15: Miles Beckett, Mesh Flinders, Jessica Rose Phillipps, and Amanda Goodfried.This episode was written by Willa Paskin and Evan Chung, Decoder Ring's Supervising Producer. Decoder Ring is also produced by Willa Paskin, Katie Shepherd, and Max Freedman. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.Thank you to Greg Goodfried, Matt Foremski, and Tom Foremski. Special thanks to Ryan Broderick and Grant Irving of the podcast Panic World, who introduced Willa to the lonelygirl15 story on a recent episode of their show and suggested it might make a good topic for Decoder Ring.If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com or leave a message on our hotline at (347) 460-7281.Sources for This EpisodeCresci, Elena. “Lonelygirl15: how one mysterious vlogger changed the internet,” The Guardian, June 16, 2006.Davis, Joshua. “The Secret World of Lonelygirl,” WIRED, Dec. 2006.Falconer, Ellen. “An oral history of lonelygirl15,” RNZ, June 16, 2016.Flemming, Brian. “Arguments for a real LG15 fall short,” Brian Flemming's Weblog, Aug. 25, 2006.Foremski, Matt and Tom Foremski. “SVW Exclusive: The identity of LonelyGirl15,” Silicon Valley Watcher, Sep. 11, 2006.Foremski, Tom. “How the secret identity of LonelyGirl15 was found,” Silicon Valley Watcher, Sep. 12, 2006.Foremski, Tom. “The Hunt for LonelyGirl15: Life in a blogger household…,” Silicon Valley Watcher, Sep. 12, 2006.Glaister, Dan. “Cult blog a fake, admit 'lonelygirl' creators,” The Guardian, Sep. 9, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia and Tom Zeller Jr. “The Lonelygirl That Really Wasn't,” New York Times, Sep. 13, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia. “A Pause for Some Words From Bree,” New York Times, Aug. 23, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia. “Sweet, Weird, Fraud or Other,” New York Times, Aug. 24, 2006.“LGPedia,” LG15, 2016.“lonelygirl15 and when lies could be fun,” Panic World, Feb. 4, 2026.“Lonely Girl And All Her Friends,” On the Media, Sep. 1, 2006.Nudd, Tim. “Lonelygirl15 still a mystery, for now,” ADWEEK, Sep. 1, 2006.Rushfield, Richard and Claire Hoffman. “Lonelygirl15 Video Blog Is Brainchild of 3 Filmmakers,” Los Angeles Times, Sep. 13, 2006.Rushfield, Richard and Claire Hoffman. “Mystery Fuels Huge Popularity of Web's Lonelygirl15,” Los Angeles Times, Sep. 8, 2006.Wendt, Milo A. “LonelyGirl15: It's Not So Lonely In The Bay Area,” milowent, Aug. 30, 2006.Get more of Decoder Ring with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of Decoder Ring and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus for access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the summer of 2006, a teenage girl began posting video diaries to a then-new site called YouTube under the handle lonelygirl15. Within weeks she was a phenomenon—even though no one knew the truth of who she really was. The frenzied quest to change that, to solve the mystery of lonelygirl15, would ultimately land her on the front page of newspapers and the covers of magazines. Twenty years on, lonelygirl15 is both an artifact of an earlier online era and an origin point for the internet as we know it: a place full of video diaries, parasocial relationships, influencers, hyper-engaged fandoms, and the knowledge that you can't always believe your eyes.In this episode, you'll hear from some of the people who investigated lonelygirl15 way back in 2006: culture critic Virginia Heffernan, who writes the Substack Magic + Loss and co-hosts the podcast Omnishambles; entertainment journalist Richard Rushfield of The Ankler; producer Jenni Powell; and one-time cybersleuth Chris Patterson. We also speak with the people involved in making lonelygirl15: Miles Beckett, Mesh Flinders, Jessica Rose Phillipps, and Amanda Goodfried.This episode was written by Willa Paskin and Evan Chung, Decoder Ring's Supervising Producer. Decoder Ring is also produced by Willa Paskin, Katie Shepherd, and Max Freedman. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.Thank you to Greg Goodfried, Matt Foremski, and Tom Foremski. Special thanks to Ryan Broderick and Grant Irving of the podcast Panic World, who introduced Willa to the lonelygirl15 story on a recent episode of their show and suggested it might make a good topic for Decoder Ring.If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com or leave a message on our hotline at (347) 460-7281.Sources for This EpisodeCresci, Elena. “Lonelygirl15: how one mysterious vlogger changed the internet,” The Guardian, June 16, 2006.Davis, Joshua. “The Secret World of Lonelygirl,” WIRED, Dec. 2006.Falconer, Ellen. “An oral history of lonelygirl15,” RNZ, June 16, 2016.Flemming, Brian. “Arguments for a real LG15 fall short,” Brian Flemming's Weblog, Aug. 25, 2006.Foremski, Matt and Tom Foremski. “SVW Exclusive: The identity of LonelyGirl15,” Silicon Valley Watcher, Sep. 11, 2006.Foremski, Tom. “How the secret identity of LonelyGirl15 was found,” Silicon Valley Watcher, Sep. 12, 2006.Foremski, Tom. “The Hunt for LonelyGirl15: Life in a blogger household…,” Silicon Valley Watcher, Sep. 12, 2006.Glaister, Dan. “Cult blog a fake, admit 'lonelygirl' creators,” The Guardian, Sep. 9, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia and Tom Zeller Jr. “The Lonelygirl That Really Wasn't,” New York Times, Sep. 13, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia. “A Pause for Some Words From Bree,” New York Times, Aug. 23, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia. “Sweet, Weird, Fraud or Other,” New York Times, Aug. 24, 2006.“LGPedia,” LG15, 2016.“lonelygirl15 and when lies could be fun,” Panic World, Feb. 4, 2026.“Lonely Girl And All Her Friends,” On the Media, Sep. 1, 2006.Nudd, Tim. “Lonelygirl15 still a mystery, for now,” ADWEEK, Sep. 1, 2006.Rushfield, Richard and Claire Hoffman. “Lonelygirl15 Video Blog Is Brainchild of 3 Filmmakers,” Los Angeles Times, Sep. 13, 2006.Rushfield, Richard and Claire Hoffman. “Mystery Fuels Huge Popularity of Web's Lonelygirl15,” Los Angeles Times, Sep. 8, 2006.Wendt, Milo A. “LonelyGirl15: It's Not So Lonely In The Bay Area,” milowent, Aug. 30, 2006.Get more of Decoder Ring with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of Decoder Ring and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus for access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the summer of 2006, a teenage girl began posting video diaries to a then-new site called YouTube under the handle lonelygirl15. Within weeks she was a phenomenon—even though no one knew the truth of who she really was. The frenzied quest to change that, to solve the mystery of lonelygirl15, would ultimately land her on the front page of newspapers and the covers of magazines. Twenty years on, lonelygirl15 is both an artifact of an earlier online era and an origin point for the internet as we know it: a place full of video diaries, parasocial relationships, influencers, hyper-engaged fandoms, and the knowledge that you can't always believe your eyes.In this episode, you'll hear from some of the people who investigated lonelygirl15 way back in 2006: culture critic Virginia Heffernan, who writes the Substack Magic + Loss and co-hosts the podcast Omnishambles; entertainment journalist Richard Rushfield of The Ankler; Emmy Award-winning producer Jenni Powell; and one-time cybersleuth Chris Patterson. We also speak with the people involved in making lonelygirl15: Miles Beckett, Mesh Flinders, Jessica Rose Phillipps, and Amanda Goodfried. This episode was written by Willa Paskin and Evan Chung, Decoder Ring's Supervising Producer. Decoder Ring is also produced by Willa Paskin, Katie Shepherd, and Max Freedman. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.Thank you to Greg Goodfried, Matt Foremski, and Tom Foremski. Special thanks to Ryan Broderick and Grant Irving of the podcast Panic World, who introduced Willa to the lonelygirl15 story on a recent episode of their show and suggested it might make a good topic for Decoder Ring.If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com or leave a message on our hotline at (347) 460-7281.Sources for This EpisodeCresci, Elena. “Lonelygirl15: how one mysterious vlogger changed the internet,” The Guardian, June 16, 2006.Davis, Joshua. “The Secret World of Lonelygirl,” WIRED, Dec. 2006.Falconer, Ellen. “An oral history of lonelygirl15,” RNZ, June 16, 2016.Flemming, Brian. “Arguments for a real LG15 fall short,” Brian Flemming's Weblog, Aug. 25, 2006.Foremski, Matt and Tom Foremski. “SVW Exclusive: The identity of LonelyGirl15,” Silicon Valley Watcher, Sep. 11, 2006.Foremski, Tom. “How the secret identity of LonelyGirl15 was found,” Silicon Valley Watcher, Sep. 12, 2006.Foremski, Tom. “The Hunt for LonelyGirl15: Life in a blogger household…,” Silicon Valley Watcher, Sep. 12, 2006.Glaister, Dan. “Cult blog a fake, admit 'lonelygirl' creators,” The Guardian, Sep. 9, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia and Tom Zeller Jr. “The Lonelygirl That Really Wasn't,” New York Times, Sep. 13, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia. “A Pause for Some Words From Bree,” New York Times, Aug. 23, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia. “Sweet, Weird, Fraud or Other,” New York Times, Aug. 24, 2006.“LGPedia,” LG15, 2016.“lonelygirl15 and when lies could be fun,” Panic World, Feb. 4, 2026.“Lonely Girl And All Her Friends,” On the Media, Sep. 1, 2006.Nudd, Tim. “Lonelygirl15 still a mystery, for now,” ADWEEK, Sep. 1, 2006.Rushfield, Richard and Claire Hoffman. “Lonelygirl15 Video Blog Is Brainchild of 3 Filmmakers,” Los Angeles Times, Sep. 13, 2006.Rushfield, Richard and Claire Hoffman. “Mystery Fuels Huge Popularity of Web's Lonelygirl15,” Los Angeles Times, Sep. 8, 2006.Wendt, Milo A. “LonelyGirl15: It's Not So Lonely In The Bay Area,” milowent, Aug. 30, 2006. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the summer of 2006, a teenage girl began posting video diaries to a then-new site called YouTube under the handle lonelygirl15. Within weeks she was a phenomenon—even though no one knew the truth of who she really was. The frenzied quest to change that, to solve the mystery of lonelygirl15, would ultimately land her on the front page of newspapers and the covers of magazines. Twenty years on, lonelygirl15 is both an artifact of an earlier online era and an origin point for the internet as we know it: a place full of video diaries, parasocial relationships, influencers, hyper-engaged fandoms, and the knowledge that you can't always believe your eyes.In this episode, you'll hear from some of the people who investigated lonelygirl15 way back in 2006: culture critic Virginia Heffernan, who writes the Substack Magic + Loss and co-hosts the podcast Omnishambles; entertainment journalist Richard Rushfield of The Ankler; Emmy Award-winning producer Jenni Powell; and one-time cybersleuth Chris Patterson. We also speak with the people involved in making lonelygirl15: Miles Beckett, Mesh Flinders, Jessica Rose Phillipps, and Amanda Goodfried. This episode was written by Willa Paskin and Evan Chung, Decoder Ring's Supervising Producer. Decoder Ring is also produced by Willa Paskin, Katie Shepherd, and Max Freedman. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.Thank you to Greg Goodfried, Matt Foremski, and Tom Foremski. Special thanks to Ryan Broderick and Grant Irving of the podcast Panic World, who introduced Willa to the lonelygirl15 story on a recent episode of their show and suggested it might make a good topic for Decoder Ring.If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com or leave a message on our hotline at (347) 460-7281.Sources for This EpisodeCresci, Elena. “Lonelygirl15: how one mysterious vlogger changed the internet,” The Guardian, June 16, 2006.Davis, Joshua. “The Secret World of Lonelygirl,” WIRED, Dec. 2006.Falconer, Ellen. “An oral history of lonelygirl15,” RNZ, June 16, 2016.Flemming, Brian. “Arguments for a real LG15 fall short,” Brian Flemming's Weblog, Aug. 25, 2006.Foremski, Matt and Tom Foremski. “SVW Exclusive: The identity of LonelyGirl15,” Silicon Valley Watcher, Sep. 11, 2006.Foremski, Tom. “How the secret identity of LonelyGirl15 was found,” Silicon Valley Watcher, Sep. 12, 2006.Foremski, Tom. “The Hunt for LonelyGirl15: Life in a blogger household…,” Silicon Valley Watcher, Sep. 12, 2006.Glaister, Dan. “Cult blog a fake, admit 'lonelygirl' creators,” The Guardian, Sep. 9, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia and Tom Zeller Jr. “The Lonelygirl That Really Wasn't,” New York Times, Sep. 13, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia. “A Pause for Some Words From Bree,” New York Times, Aug. 23, 2006.Heffernan, Virginia. “Sweet, Weird, Fraud or Other,” New York Times, Aug. 24, 2006.“LGPedia,” LG15, 2016.“lonelygirl15 and when lies could be fun,” Panic World, Feb. 4, 2026.“Lonely Girl And All Her Friends,” On the Media, Sep. 1, 2006.Nudd, Tim. “Lonelygirl15 still a mystery, for now,” ADWEEK, Sep. 1, 2006.Rushfield, Richard and Claire Hoffman. “Lonelygirl15 Video Blog Is Brainchild of 3 Filmmakers,” Los Angeles Times, Sep. 13, 2006.Rushfield, Richard and Claire Hoffman. “Mystery Fuels Huge Popularity of Web's Lonelygirl15,” Los Angeles Times, Sep. 8, 2006.Wendt, Milo A. “LonelyGirl15: It's Not So Lonely In The Bay Area,” milowent, Aug. 30, 2006.Get more of Decoder Ring with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of Decoder Ring and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus for access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nothing stirred more outrage at the Golden Globes than the integration of prediction market (read: betting platform) Polymarket in the telecast — Katey Rich called it “incredibly tacky,” and Richard Rushfield argued the show “milked opportunities for clickbait and cash grabs into the show like a BuzzFeed headline writer circa 12 years ago.” After years of harmless live-voting on American Idol or Dancing With the Stars, is betting the next frontier of interactive TV? Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey trace the history of entertainment gamification — and the money now pouring in (see: Amazon and FanDuel's NBA deal). Plus, an inside look at the first-ever Ankler Invitational, Elaine's smashing new tennis event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard Rushfield and Christopher Rosen join Katey to share their top 10 films of the year, a countdown that ranges from animated blockbusters to underseen indies to, yes, some major Oscar contenders. Then, Katey talks to Amy Madigan about her transformative turn as Aunt Gladys in Weapons, how she convinced the child actors she worked with on set not to be scared of her, and how she's handling this major moment in what's already been a thrilling decades-long career. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe today⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to Prestige Junkie After Party bonus episodes for just $5 a month. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the Prestige Junkie newsletter.  Follow Katey on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Ankler. 

On Monday, Sam Stein DMed me and asked if we could put together a little livestream event celebrating the work of Rob Reiner; he described it as sitting shiva, and I was happy to take the lead on putting this group of mourners together. I was joined by my colleague Bill Kristol, The Ankler's Richard Rushfield (whose great column on Reiner you can read here), and Semafor's Dave Weigel (whose book on prog rock is a must-read for fans of the genre). 

Richard Rushfield, chief columnist at The Ankler, discusses the legacies of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, who were found dead in their Hollywood home on Monday, and listeners offer their tributes.

Richard Rushfield, Katey Rich and Christopher Rosen taped a special Prestige Junkie episode to discuss what Richard rightly hailed as Rob Reiner's “towering career of a towering presence” in the industry. From his early days as a sitcom star on All in the Family to his remarkable 12-year run of feature films, starting with 1984's This Is Spinal Tap and ending with 1996's The American President — with 1986's Stand By Me, 1987's The Princess Bride and 1989's When Harry Met Sally among those in between — Reiner influenced a generation. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe today⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to Prestige Junkie After Party bonus episodes for just $5 a month. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the Prestige Junkie newsletter.  Follow Katey on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Ankler. 

Richard Rushfield, Katey Rich and Christopher Rosen taped a special Prestige Junkie episode to discuss what Richard rightly hailed as Rob Reiner's “towering career of a towering presence” in the industry. From his early days as a sitcom star on All in the Family to his remarkable 12-year run of feature films, starting with 1984's This Is Spinal Tap and ending with 1996's The American President — with 1986's Stand By Me, 1987's The Princess Bride and 1989's When Harry Met Sally among those in between — Reiner influenced a generation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One studio to rule them all and in the darkness bind them: Netflix, Paramount Skydance and Comcast have submitted new bids to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, part or parcel. One's got cash (Netflix), another's got Saudi money (PSKY), but the question is: Who needs whom more? And which studio exec would be most palatable to the town as the new head of Warner Bros.' TV and film studios — Ted Sarandos, David Ellison or Donna Langley? Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey suss out the latest (binding) bids for WBD and which combos make the most sense for the studios and for the health of Hollywood. Plus, the battle between idealistic Patreon and heavy-hitter Substack for writers and creators, and Richard Rushfield's take on why anyone but a Hollywood studio should buy WBD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special bonus Ankler Agenda episode, Richard Rushfield chats with Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy about their journey to Warners, their record-breaking year at the box office and why their strategy paid off on hits from ‘Sinners' to ‘Superman' — all in the face of relentless negative headlines about their bold and risk-taking slate. With a combined 70 years of making movies, these two have seen it all — hits and flops, unexpected wins and surprising losses. But even now, with so many signs pointing to the contrary — and the fate of their studio in doubt, as it's officially up for sale — they both retain a sense of hope and wonder for the best that Hollywood can be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hollywood had its eyes on Web Summit Lisbon this week — where Tilly Norwood creator Eline van der Velden joined Ankler Media EIC Janice Min to showcase her AI “actress.” But Wild Sheep Content CEO Erik Barmack, our Reel AI columnist, tells Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey that the fixation on Tilly misses the far more consequential story: the unmistakable warning signs of AI's encroachment and the decades of strategic drift that have left Hollywood uniquely exposed to Big Tech's ambitions. Which jobs remain genuinely AI-proof? Which ones are already dissolving beneath us? And what does it mean for a creative economy when the apprenticeship ladder that produces future writers, directors and executives is sawed off at the base? Barmack offers a rigorous, unsentimental map of a crisis now unfolding faster, and more decisively, than the town wants to acknowledge. Plus: David Ellison hosts Paramount Skydance's debut on Wall Street, and Richard Rushfield charts the steady disappearance of dramatic films from America's movie screens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's show, Steve, Dana, and Julia merge their consciousnesses—so to speak—to reflect on Pluribus, the latest television saga from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan. In this unlikely body snatchers/sci-fi mashup, Rhea Seehorn plays a woman intent on saving the world from… eternal happiness? What exactly it needs saving from—or if it needs saving at all—is fodder for much discourse. Next, they turn to the ruminative and funny family drama Sentimental Value, directed by Norwegian auteur Joachim Trier and starring Stellan Skarsgård and Renate Reinsve. Finally, they take a look at a recent piece in The Ankler by Richard Rushfield crunching the numbers to reveal that, since #MeToo, troublingly few major films have been directed by women. In an exclusive Slate Plus bonus episode, it's time to party! Or rather, it's time for a reflective discussion about parties as pieces of personal culture.  Endorsements Dana: Reading up on the historical figure Jean Ross, the writer and activist who inspired both the song “These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)” and the character Sally Bowles of Goodbye to Berlin/Cabaret notoriety. Julia: Kate McKinnon talking with Amy Poehler on Good Hang and Jennifer Lawrence talking with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang on Las Culturistas— celebrities interviewing celebrities isn't all bad! Steve: By Night in Chile by Roberto Bolaño and the Dutch indie rock band Bettie Serveert— especially this playlist. … Email us your thoughts at culturefest@slate.com.  Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's show, Steve, Dana, and Julia merge their consciousnesses—so to speak—to reflect on Pluribus, the latest television saga from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan. In this unlikely body snatchers/sci-fi mashup, Rhea Seehorn plays a woman intent on saving the world from… eternal happiness? What exactly it needs saving from—or if it needs saving at all—is fodder for much discourse. Next, they turn to the ruminative and funny family drama Sentimental Value, directed by Norwegian auteur Joachim Trier and starring Stellan Skarsgård and Renate Reinsve. Finally, they take a look at a recent piece in The Ankler by Richard Rushfield crunching the numbers to reveal that, since #MeToo, troublingly few major films have been directed by women. In an exclusive Slate Plus bonus episode, it's time to party! Or rather, it's time for a reflective discussion about parties as pieces of personal culture.  Endorsements Dana: Reading up on the historical figure Jean Ross, the writer and activist who inspired both the song “These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)” and the character Sally Bowles of Goodbye to Berlin/Cabaret notoriety. Julia: Kate McKinnon talking with Amy Poehler on Good Hang and Jennifer Lawrence talking with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang on Las Culturistas— celebrities interviewing celebrities isn't all bad! Steve: By Night in Chile by Roberto Bolaño and the Dutch indie rock band Bettie Serveert— especially this playlist. … Email us your thoughts at culturefest@slate.com.  Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thousands of jobs lost at Paramount Skydance and Amazon, quiet panic on the Warner Bros. Discovery lot, shoot days in L.A. on a continued decline — all while streaming churn, anecdotally, is becoming worse than ever as subscription prices skyrocket. As Hollywood embraced the most terrifying part of the industry during Halloween week — mass layoffs — Ankler Agenda host Elaine Low, along with Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey, take a look at the local economic indicators and how many are pointing south as we barrel toward next year. Then, to celebrate our big flagship podcast rebrand as Ankler Agenda, Richard Rushfield debuts his new weekly segment, Rushfield's Rant, and rings the alarm about the grim reality facing female directors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Thursday, "The Ankler Podcast" relaunches as "Ankler Agenda," hosted by Elaine Low. Elaine, author of Ankler Media's popular “Series Business” newsletter, will be joined weekly by her Ankler colleagues Sean McNulty, Natalie Jarvey and Richard Rushfield, in addition to a variety of expert guests, to break down the headlines, trends and creativity shaping the evolution of Hollywood, the creator economy and entertainment. Episodes will also be available every Thursday on YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard Rushfield joins Katey to discuss Paul Thomas Anderson's movie of the moment and reflect on the wild year for the studio that made it, Warner Bros. Prestige Junkie After Party subscribers can watch the full video version of this podcast. ⁠Subscribe today⁠ for just $5 a month.  Check out our newly relaunched ⁠Prestige Junkie Pundits⁠ to see Katey's full Oscar predictions. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the Prestige Junkie newsletter.  Follow Katey on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Ankler. 

Six days. That's all it took for Jimmy Kimmel to be yanked off the air by Disney under FCC pressure — and then rushed back after Hollywood revolted. Now Trump is circling, affiliates are defying ABC in a game of chicken, and Disney's succession drama involving negotiators Dana Walden and Bob Iger is suddenly back in the spotlight. Elaine Low, Sean McNulty, Natalie Jarvey, and Richard Rushfield unpack the week that shook late night — and what it means for free speech, politics and the future of Hollywood. And no, this is nowhere close to being over. For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler or apply to The Ladder, a members-only hub for early career entertainment professionals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a multibillion-dollar business growing right under Hollywood's nose: microdramas, those soapy, 60-second episodes Gen Z binges on their phones with storylines that can sound like bad 'Twilight' fan-fiction. Vertical dramas are a booming market in China, and now entertainment vets stateside like Lloyd Braun and Susan Rovner are getting in on the action. Elaine Low, Natalie Jarvey and Sean McNulty tackle the big questions for the micro-curious: How seriously should Netflix view microdramas as a rival? Can anyone actually make a profit? And will it take household names to make them succeed — or is this another Quibi-in-waiting? Plus, Richard Rushfield makes his glorious return to the podcast with tales of TIFF: the best films, the Criterion Closet and his all-important Sydney Sweeney selfie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final edition of this season's Hollywood Stories, Richard Rushfield got to talk about "The Traitors" — a show of which he is an unapologetic superfan — with executive producer Mike Cotton, the man who brought it to both the U.K. and U.S. Originally a Dutch format, Traitors landed in Cotton's hands when he snapped up the rights and then “took that idea and helped supersize it for a U.K. and U.S. audience,” as he puts it. Cotton shares how the show's contestants get sucked into the game, why his team takes a “hands-off approach” to let the drama develop — and what might lie ahead for Peacock's breakout hit. “What I love about this show is it's a really rich world,” Cotton says. “We can take inspiration from murder mysteries, from thrillers, from horror movies, and we're constantly thinking of what we can do different.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's Hollywood Stories, Richard Rushfield sits down with TV comedy legend Nell Scovell — creator of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and writer for everything from The Simpsons to Late Night with David Letterman.Before breaking into TV, Scovell sharpened her voice at Spy and Vanity Fair, where editors Kurt Andersen and Graydon Carter taught her to “be funnier, go harder, be meaner.” She shares how she defied her agent to leave Vanity Fair and dive into the boys' club of TV writers rooms, a dynamic she was still battling decades later — even on The Muppets in the 2010s.She also opens up about her sharp, hilarious memoir Just the Funny Parts, which she jokes she really wanted to title, “Penis, Penis, Penis, Penis, Me, Penis.” (Scovell: "It would have sold more.") Richard calls it “one of the best memoirs of working in television I've ever read.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Hollywood Stories: Tales From Television, Richard Rushfield takes us back to the heyday of the original “American Idol” in the aughts and early 2010s, when the Fox juggernaut dominated conversation everywhere from “Howard Stern” to the “Today” show and produced megastars like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. But there was one powerful figure behind the scenes whose quiet devotion touched future superstars from Katherine McPhee to Jordin Sparks: Pastor Leesa Bellesi. Through her American Idol Ministry, Bellesi not only prayed for the success of these contestants, but she also helped them and their families navigate the harsh spotlight of sudden fame that glared upon even the ones who didn't make it far. Richard chronicled Bellisi's incredible journey in his 2011 book, “American Idol: The Untold Story,” and now, more than two decades later, they revisit it together as she recalls her spiritual connection with the show and its stars — from the Bible passage that bonded her with McPhee to a fateful prayer circle with judge Paula Abdul. "It was such a God thing," she tells Richard. "The prayers that I prayed in that room are living themselves out still to this day." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the second episode of Hollywood Stories' sophomore season, Richard Rushfield talks to the brilliant and bawdy Bruce Vilanch, known as the longtime joke purveyor extraordinaire for the Oscars (plus the Emmys, Tonys and more). But before he became the go-to for Hollywood galas, Vilanch got his start in writing for the big variety shows and specials that peppered the network schedules of the 1960s and '70s and represent the height of television's most flamboyant and unhinged period. Expanding on some of the wildest misadventures chronicled in  his new book, “It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time,” Vilanch takes Richard through three of those song-and-dance spectaculars — the “Star Wars Holiday Special” that George Lucas famously disowned, the “Paul Lynde Halloween Special” and the short-lived series “The Brady Bunch Hour.” From writing material for graceless Wookiees to putting Robert Reed's Mike Brady in Carmen Miranda drag, Vilanch revels in how right it felt when everything went fantastically wrong. “It was ridiculous, but I had fun,” he recalls. “A lot of these things were conceived in clouds of smoke.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hollywood Stories is back! The Ankler pod series returns, this time focusing on untold tales from the world of TV as shared by the people who work in its trenches. In this debut episode of season two, Richard Rushfield hosts a revealing, in-depth interview with four creative minds behind Netflix's hilarious, animated (but decidedly not-for-little-kids) hit, ‘Big Mouth,' whose eighth and final season drops on May 23. Comedians and co-creators Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg swing by to discuss their silly, simpatico partnership that dates back to first grade, their own anxieties from puberty, and how they used their celebrity pull to get Hugh Jackman, Jordan Peele, Paul Giamatti and others to sign on for appearances. Richard also sits down with veteran writers and fellow co-creators Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin, who explain why you can never go too far in pushing the risqué envelope and why ‘Big Mouth' could never in a million years have happened at a network. Says Flackett, "It would have been a different show." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ankler himself Richard Rushfield joins Katey to look back at the series of disasters that have been facing Hollywood for the past decade, and the hope that still remains for escaping it. Then Katey talks to Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy and executive producer and star Diego Luna about the show's ambitious, moving final episodes, and why Andor may be the first show ever to say it's being made like a long movie and actually pull that off. Subscribe⁠⁠⁠ to the Prestige Junkie newsletter.  Follow Katey on ⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠.  ⁠⁠⁠Follow The Ankler. 

Really believe Trump wants to bring production back stateside? Or that California Gov. Gavin Newsom can work with him to do it? Think again, says Richard Rushfield, who joins Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey to break down the fantasy of a tariff or federal incentive, the impact already from the trade war, Newsom's failings that precipitated all of this — and why Richard thinks any action to bring production back is 25 years too late. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hollywood in crisis! When is Hollywood not in crisis? This week on the podcast, the tariffs have come home to roost in Tinseltown. Neal Pollack hosts Richard Rushfield of The Ankler to discuss what in the hell is going on. Why couldn't Jon Voight stop Trump from issuing tariff threats? Is Trump serious? Maybe it's good to have a President who's actually engaging in issues that threaten the movie industry. Maybe he wants to help? No one has any idea what's happening, which makes it all suspenseful and vaguely fun, like a good studio genre picture. Richard empties what's left of his brain and he and Neal try to break down the issues.There are no issues with 'Thunderbolts,' a current hit from that underdog Marvel Studios. Richard went to the world premiere in Los Angeles, and, frankly, he found the buffet kind of wanting. I mean, it tasted good, but was maybe a little skimpy. You could say the same about Thunderbolts, which, let's face it, is trying to sell us some C-list heroes as A-list heroes and it's hard to tell if people are going to bite permanently or not. There's so much Bob, so little Spider-Man. And that buffet? My lord.Matthew Ehrlich makes a late-episode appearance to absolutely ravage Tina Fey's remake of a very dated Alan Alda movie called 'The Four Seasons.' Except that this isn't a movie. It's a four-hour miniseries on Netflix. No one cares about these three couples who are somehow supposed to be able to afford to take four luxury vacations a year. Together. Matthew wonders why the gay couple, half of whom is Colman Domingo, would even consider going on holiday with such boring straight people. Once, maybe, because they went to Vassar together. But four times? In a year? What are we doing here, people. Everyone loved Alan Alda back in the day, but Matthew broaches the unthinkable: That maybe Tina Fey has peaked. We will rue such words, I'm sure.Enjoy the podcast!

On this week's BFG Podcast, we welcome in our friend Richard Rushfield, who takes time away from his deli-going schedule from time to time to stop by to talk to host Neal Pollack about issues and trends in Hollywood. Richard is recently back from Cinemcon, the annual Las Vegas convention for theater owners, who always have one question: "Does your movie star Dwayne Johnson, or does it star Ryan Reynolds?" Headier artistic questions don't concern them.For the first time in many years, Richard says, major franchises had no representation at Cinema Con. There was no Fast and Furious movie to tout. Even superhero offerings seemed kind of muted. The idea of a 90-day theatrical window went out the, well, window during COVID, and now they're trying to claw back a 45-day theatrical window. That seems highly unlikely. Finally, the conversation turns to what all of America has been waiting to hear about: Richard Rushfield's sleep apnea. It's a major problem for, we assume, his wife, but also for theatergoers around him when he takes his traditional nap an hour into a turkey. Neal and Richard try to find a workaround.BFG has also given near round-the-clock coverage of 'Drop,' an unserious thriller about cell phone misuse and bad dates that has been bombing at the box office since it released two years ago. Pablo Gallaga joins Neal to talk about 'Drop,' as the two of them continue to try to sell the public on the fact that this is the genre of the moment, the blood-soaked violence picture with a bit of cheeky comedy. We will write retrospectives about this genre, if not songs. Drop is pretty bad, they both agree, and it also accelerates a trend in modern pictures of extreme violence against women played as entertainment. How many females slammed into coffee tables do we really need to see?These are the important questions we ask at the BFG Podcast. Enjoy the show!

Can Jeff Bezos be trusted with 007? Is James Gunn the hero DC needs right now? Will Casey Bloys help Harry Potter make it safely to TV? All of Hollywood's signature IP franchises face uncertain, perilous paths forward, and Richard Rushfield, Elaine Low and Sean McNulty decide whether they'd buy, sell or hold these tentpoles plus Marvel and Star Wars. Plus: The crew guesses which five series earned the coveted writers' streaming performance bonus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the 97th Academy Awards finally in the rearview, Katey gathers a murderers' row of former guests to share their final takeaway from this topsy turvy season. Answering the question "What did you learn from this year's Oscars?" are Esther Zuckerman, Jordan Hoffman, Richard Rushfield, Tyler Coates, Michael Shulman, Sam Adams, Rebecca Ford, Shirley Li, Matt Patches, David Canfield, Chris Murphy, Sean Fennessey, Alison Brower, and Chris Feil. Join us, and then you never have to think about this year's Oscars again. Subscribe to the Prestige Junkie newsletter.  Follow Katey on X and Letterboxd.  Follow The Ankler. 

Broadcast TV may be what “your uncle and your mom watches,” but it's a bright spot for the studios. Series Business' Lesley Goldberg joins Elaine Low to discuss her interview with CBS President Amy Reisenbach, why all those spinoffs and reboots give producers an “edge” and how year-round development helps “get the creative right.” Plus: Elaine, Sean McNulty and Richard Rushfield discuss what the earnings of CBS parent Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery portend — no need for more sports, says Zaz! — and final Oscar thoughts before the big show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As President Trump seeks to banish diversity, equity and inclusion, Disney buried its initiative this week, and Amazon continues to “evolve” its own. Sean McNulty, Elaine Low, Richard Rushfield and contributor Nicole LaPorte dive into whether Hollywood was ever committed to the cause — as Nicole says, “the erosion of DEI here has been going on for a quite a while” — and how to tell a real pronouncement from a fake one. Plus: How the L.A. wildfires have fueled a real estate frenzy while TV workers debate whether to flee the city altogether. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Disney started its latest earnings call with an uncharacteristically terse Bob Iger avoiding a trio of unpleasant topics: linear TV, declining Disney+ subscriber totals and Donald Trump. What wasn't said spoke volumes, but a few messages rang clear: film keeps churning out hits, ESPN has good/less good news, and the streaming division is firmly in the black. Meanwhile, SEC filings paint a bleak start to the future SpinCo, and a look inside the do-or-die #StayinLA movement. Sean McNulty, Elaine Low and Richard Rushfield break it all down. For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler or apply to The Ladder, a new members-only hub for early career entertainment professionals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mase & Sue give their Super Bowl picks and entertainment journalist Richard Rushfield talks about the beginnings of his candid, insightful industry newsletter,

Richard Rushfield on creating The Ankler & how to save the Oscars.

Just two deals and Sundance is almost over? Ouch. Richard Rushfield, on the ground at the fest, gives his report on indie malaise and how to fix it. Plus: Sean McNulty, Elaine Low and Richard on Peacock and NBCU's troubling Q4, and Netflix's showy 2025 slate, while Natalie Jarvey, author of the new Like & Subscribe newsletter, on why Hollywood absolutely should “work with” the creators upending entertainment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who loves doing free work? No one. Who loves getting free work? The studios. “If-come” deals — where a writer develops a show under contract but only sees money if the show sells — are on the rise post-Writers Guild strike and have led to a new “involuntary servitude,” even among big-name scribes. Ashley Cullins joins Sean McNulty, Elaine Low and Richard Rushfield to outline what's happening and who's fighting back. Plus: Katey Rich breaks down Oscar nominations, and Elaine shares the state of the unscripted market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katey shares instant reactions to this year's Oscar nominations with Esther Zuckerman, then shares segments of a Substack Live session with Richard Rushfield, asking some of the bigger questions about what this years nominations mean for Hollywood. Want to be part of our next Substack Live? Become a paid subscriber to The Ankler and join us! Subscribe to the Prestige Junkie newsletter.  Follow Katey on X and Letterboxd.  Follow The Ankler. 

Can Jon Voight save Hollywood? Probably not. But President Trump's announcement that the Midnight Cowboy, Mad Max (Mel Gibson) and Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) would be his “special envoys” in L.A. on the eve of his inauguration followed the latest report on L.A.'s continued production exodus. Sean McNulty, Elaine Low and Richard Rushfield dissect the numbers and where the industry is heading in 2025. Plus: How is Gen Z outfoxing studio and streaming marketers? Matthew Frank explains.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I'm joined by Richard Rushfield and Katey Rich of The Ankler to discuss the state of the awards season post-Golden Globes and in the midst of the Los Angeles fires. (Indeed, Los Angeles resident Richard is in the city to give us an on-the-ground update of the state of things from his perspective. Please excuse any background noise/distortion that you may hear as a result!) We talked about how the Globes might affect the Oscars, how the Globes has devolved into an incestuous web of self-dealing, and how the fires might affect Academy Award voting patterns. We also discussed the new Ankler Pundits prediction site, which I am honored to have been asked to take part in. Check it out and feel free to mock my picks. And look: I understand the impulse to avoid discussing awards given everything that's going on out west. I want to reiterate that there are good charities that can be donated to if you're looking to help out: If you can't wait to donate, you can never go wrong with José Andrés's World Central Kitchen, which has teams on the ground helping feed first responders. Two additional charities I've had folks recommend are Global Empowerment Mission and the California Community Foundation. I'm sure they'll all make good use of every penny. I also think halting the awards will do little to improve anyone's financial standing and will in fact hurt the folks who work for all the ancillary events. Not just the awards shows themselves, but the parties, the limo drivers, the caterers, the dress designers, people whose whole year is made or broken by this stretch in Los Angeles. Awards may feel silly but even silly things can be worthwhile, particularly when your livelihood depends on it. If you enjoyed this show, I hope you share it with a friend.

Katey and Richard Rushfield continue their look back at the year that was in Hollywood, selecting the year's standout performances in everything from little-seen Sundance indies to some likely future Oscar winners. It's enough good work to even make Richard feel a little optimistic as the new year begins. Subscribe to the Prestige Junkie newsletter.  Follow Katey on X and Letterboxd.  Follow The Ankler. 

Richard Rushfield joins Katey to look back at the year in film, which Richard thinks is one of the worst in the history of studio filmmaking — if not the worst — but still scrounged up enough titles to get excited about. The episode also includes Katey's conversation with Javier Bardem about his chilling performance on the limited series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story — and his surprisingly moving motivation for taking on a very different kind of character in a recent, criminally underseen children's film. Subscribe to the Prestige Junkie newsletter.  Follow Katey on X and Letterboxd.  Follow The Ankler. 

Katey and Richard Rushfield join forces to pick movies from across movie history that are guaranteed to leave you feeling hopeful, no matter what the news has in store. Then Katey talks to The Piano Lesson star Danielle Deadwyler about everything that goes into her tremendous performances, from her knack for stillness to how she built trust with The Piano Lesson director Malcolm Washington.  Katey's list of Movies For Hope on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/kateyrich/list/movies-to-give-you-hope/ Richard's list: https://letterboxd.com/rrushfield/list/movies-to-make-you-feel-ok-when-the-world/ 

Entertainment reporter Richard Rushfield discusses how silicon valley and stockholders tried to make sure bets and wound up destroying the infrastructure of Hollywood. We also talk about comedy, movies, being a pessimist, and the notion that storytelling will continue no matter what. Bio: Richard Rushfield founded The Ankler in January 2022. Called a “hit Hollywood newsletter” by the New York Times the Ankler is the number one go to information source for Hollywood Insiders who really want to know what's going on inside Hollywood.  has covered Hollywood and American culture as a reporter, editor and critic for over 20 years. A native of Los Angeles, he had a first career as a grassroots political field organizer, working for the 1992 campaign of Bill Clinton, among others. He began covering L.A. as a reporter for Los Angeles magazine, later working as a contributing editor of Vanity Fair and author of its long-running Intelligence Report column. Additionally, he was an editor and columnist for the Los Angeles Times, The Daily Beast, Gawker, BuzzFeed and Yahoo and was editor-in-chief of the website Hitfix. Richard is also the author of three books.